


an alternate true end

by magumarashi



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Persona 5 Spoilers, does this even count as a shipping piece, not like the game didn't imply it enough already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-10-28 07:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10826499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magumarashi/pseuds/magumarashi
Summary: [Major endgame spoilers for Persona 5 within]I named the protag of my playthrough "Kaito Kujou", so that's the name I'm going to be using in pretty much all of my p5 fics going forward.I was ultimately unsatisfied with the ending of the game, so I tried to add a scene that addresses at least one of the things that left me feeling that way. Idk if I succeeded. This is try #3





	an alternate true end

**Author's Note:**

> [Major endgame spoilers for Persona 5 within]
> 
> I named the protag of my playthrough "Kaito Kujou", so that's the name I'm going to be using in pretty much all of my p5 fics going forward.
> 
> I was ultimately unsatisfied with the ending of the game, so I tried to add a scene that addresses at least one of the things that left me feeling that way. Idk if I succeeded. This is try #3

They’d been fighting the Holy Grail for what felt like hours now. As long as those arteries remained intact, there wasn’t a single scratch they could put on it. At the same time, stopping their barrage could cost them the fight--they had to keep the Grail distracted no matter what. It was a grueling strategy, but they had little to go on and everything to lose.

_ Yusuke sure is taking his time, _ Joker thought as he moved to block another of the giant god’s attacks. They just had to keep wailing on it, keeping its attention so their friend could cut the lines… 

_ There.  _ There was a flash of steel as Yusuke leaped across the Grail’s rim, sword slicing through its lifelines as easily as butter. All action in the chamber stopped as the Grail realized what was happening--that gave Yusuke enough time to return to his comrades’ side. Joker gave his friend a pat on the back for a job well done, but he knew their fight was far from over. All they had left was to destroy the Grail itself.

For a minute or so there was silence. But then, a booming voice emanated from the depths of the Grail.

“ _ How strange _ ,” it said, “ _ Don’t humans want to live easily, with all your needs and desires taken care of? That you would fight back against such a fate seems foolish. You would be so much happier if you only gave in…” _

“Don’t effin start!” Ryuji shouted. “If getting what I want means losing my free will, than I don’t want it at all!”

“Nobody wants to live like that!” Ann chipped in.

“ _ Nonsense. Do you deign to know more about humans than I? _ ” the Grail thundered. “ _ Fine, so be it. I will show you, so that you may understand what it is you’re refusing. I will show you a world where your desires become reality! _ ”

“Guys, I don’t like this--!” cried Futaba over the noise, “It’s charging up for something! Everyone hold on--!”

“ _ So long as your mind can perceive of the possibilities, you will never escape! _ ” the Grail roared, “ _ Take this! _ ”

There was a flash of light, washing out the entire room. Joker threw up his arms as a shield, but even so, he felt his strength draining away… 

 

The sound of birds chirping filled his ears. Kaito opened his eyes to the familiar wood boards of the attic ceiling back at Leblanc. Sunlight streamed through the windows, and it was oddly warm for the middle of winter.

Kaito looked around in a panic--though he wasn’t entirely sure why he was so short of breath. He felt like he’d dreamed about something, but the details evaded him. All that remained was a pounding heart and gasping breaths; a phantom adrenaline rush.

_ Well, I’m glad it was just a dream…  _

Aside from the birds and the noise of foot traffic outside, it was oddly quiet. It took him a minute to realize that Morgana was nowhere to be found. This didn’t bother him as much as he supposed it should. Morgana was a cat, after all, and the window was wide open.

_ He’ll probably just come back when he’s hungry. _

Kaito got out of bed, throwing on some clothes--he’d carelessly left his sweatshirt and jeans on the floor again. Kawakami would scold him for it if she were here. Maybe he’d give her a call later once he’d tidied up the floor.

Kaito sleepily wandered downstairs to find Sojiro at his usual spot at the counter. The TV blared from the corner, and a few customers lounged around in the booths.

“It’s warm today for December, huh?” Sojiro commented as Kaito approached. “You don’t have school today, right? Go have some fun. I’ll hold down the fort here.” 

“Yeah, sure,” Kaito stumbled over the words a bit. His heart was still pounding, “Hey, uh, can I get some curry?”

“Hm? Sure. Have a seat.”

As Sojiro busied himself with the preparation, Kaito took a shaky seat at the bar.

_ It’s just a regular day. It was just a dream. This isn’t like you, dude. _

_ Let’s see if anyone wants to hang out today...  _

He took out his phone, but oddly enough, there weren’t any new messages. He put a note in the group chat to see if he had any takers, but after about half an hour there still wasn’t a response. By then he’d already finished his breakfast, caught up with Twitter, and drained his coffee.

_ That’s odd. _

The bells on the door jingled as Kaito ventured outside.

 

It was warmer than it should have been for winter, but the warm weather just drew out the crowds. Yongen-jaya station was a zoo, which meant Shibuya was practically a clusterfuck. There were so many people at the iconic crossing that Kaito wondered if cars would ever be allowed to pass through. He elected to take the underground passage, keeping an eye out for his friends--but all he saw were strangers with faces so plain they barely registered in his mind.

He stopped by all his usual haunts, both inside Shibuya and around town. Iwai was swamped with customers, but still managed to sneak in a hello between transactions. Ohya was busy chasing a lead in Shinjuku, and he stopped to have Chihaya read his fortune for him. (“Things will turn out just the way you want… how wonderful! That’s a fate I wouldn’t want to challenge.” He found this reading off-putting.) 

Kaito next wandered over to Akihabara, where watched Mishima take on Shinya at the arcade in Akihabara--Mishima was getting decimated--and from there he headed south. Hifumi sat in her usual spot in the pews at church, and she smiled at him kindly.

_ Everyone else is here, so where the hell are my friends…? _

Occasionally his regular confidants asked him to spend time with them. Normally he would have joined them without question, but today something seemed…. not right. As though there was something he was forgetting. His inability to find his teammates bothered him more than it had any right to. Even so, a voice gnawed at his mind:  _ Why worry about them? They’re probably all off doing things on their own. Why not just take a load off for the day? There’s always tomorrow...  _

 

Kaito returned to Leblanc around lunchtime, having searched Tokyo top to bottom without a peep from his friends. Sojiro looked up from the counter as he came in, bells jingling.

“Oh, a friend of yours came by earlier,” he said, “I told him you were out, but he insisted on waiting for you.”

Kaito snapped to attention.

“Where is he?”

“He’s up in your room. Go say hi to him, alright?”

“Thanks,” Kaito responded, heading for the stairs.

_ Maybe I’ll just spend time with him today, since he came all this way…  _

 

Kaito cautiously walked upstairs, unsure of who he would find there waiting for him. Could it be Yusuke, here to watch another documentary with him? Or was it Ryuji, manga magazines in hand? As he reached the landing, it became clear that it was neither. There was a boy about his height standing by the window, sunlight glinting off his almond-colored hair. The boy turned to face him, his expression both serene and grim.

“You’ve returned. I hoped I would catch you in time.”

Kaito stiffened, hand hovering where his weapon should be. Why was that his first impulse?

“Akechi… you…!”

“Relax. You can’t get to your weapons from here anyway.”

Kaito loosened his shoulders, his gaze never leaving the other boy. For a few minutes there was only silence between them. A myriad of thoughts and questions welled up in Kaito’s head. So many things he’d wanted to say to him; to ask him, but never got the chance… and yet, would this Akechi really be able to provide the answers?

“You know, don’t you?” said Akechi quietly, “That none of this is real.”

“That much is obvious,” Kaito tried to pretend he hadn’t been hoping otherwise, but it was hard to hide it in his tone. “Where am I?”

“You’re trapped within your own mind,” said Akechi. “Aptly enough, your innermost desires have become your prison. If things were allowed to continue, you’d eventually lose yourself to them. You’d become a slave to the monster holding us hostage.”

Kaito wondered just what inner desires he’d be tapping into to put Akechi here while his friends were entirely absent.  _ But that isn’t important right now _ .

“So I don’t suppose you know how to get out of this?”

Akechi walked up to him, taking something out of the inner pocket of his jacket. Kaito’s stomach dropped as he realized it was a gun.

“You’re not…. You’re not going to--!”

“Calm down,” said Akechi sharply, “What good would it do to kill you _ now _ ?”

Kaito paused, considering this, before nodding nervously.

“So if that’s not what you came here for, then…?”

Akechi frowned slightly.

“If you continue in this world, you will forfeit your ability to make choices for yourself,” he explained, “You will live easily, unbothered by strife or suffering, along a path that was set for you in advance. If you’re alright with that, then I will leave you be. But… you were the one who taught me that the courage to make your own choices is the most important power you can have. More important than magic spells, a brilliant mind, or physical strength. Agency to choose your path for yourself… to be truly free… ”

Akechi held out his hand, the gun resting in his palm. It was a gilded pistol, with winglike embellishments sprouting from each side. Kaito had never seen anything quite like it before.

"If you took the easy way out now, I don't think I could ever forgive you."

"Hah," Kaito tried not to laugh too hard, "Tall words, coming from you."

The other boy grimaced and looked away.

"I know, but just... hear me out, alright? I don't want you making the same mistakes I did..."

Kaito's face softened a little.

"Come on," he said, "Give me a little credit."

"Ugh, I know. It's stupid, wanting to tell you that. Of course you're not going to turn out like me. You're not me. You have friends you can rely on, a place to go back to..."

Akechi's grip on the gun tightened slightly.

“Before I met you, I was trapped,” Akechi admitted quietly, “I let my desires drive me into a corner I couldn’t possibly escape and forfeited my ability to choose. I just wish I’d met you sooner, Kujou-kun. Perhaps you could have been the one to... ”

Akechi trailed off, smiling at him gently. Kaito could tell it was only a facade--the pain behind that smile was all too obvious.

“No use dwelling on what could have been,” Akechi continued, “We don’t have much time left. You have to act quickly.”

Kaito looked from Akechi to the gun, then back again. The other boy gave him a solemn nod.

“What about you…?” asked Kaito.

“When this world disappears, I will go with it,” said Akechi, “That’s just the way of things. But as long as someone, anyone, remembers that I existed… that will be enough. Hold that truth close to your heart, and I’ll never leave your side.”

Akechi laughed.

“Hah, I can’t believe I said something like that out loud… I wonder if that’s a side of me you would have liked to see.”

Kaito reached out cautiously, taking the gun from Akechi’s hand. The instant he touched it, the room around them dissolved. The dusty attic of Leblanc faded away, leaving them standing in a space as blank as a sheet of paper. Kaito looked around in confusion, but there was only nothingness to see for miles around. It pressed slightly on his eyes.

“How…?”

“I gave you a gun, didn’t I?” said Akechi. “Use it.”

Kaito held out the gun and took aim, though there wasn’t anything in particular to aim at. As he did so, he felt the familiar rush of his clothes transforming--in the blink of an eye, he was back in his Joker costume.

He felt a hand on his--Akechi was next to him, his own clothes transformed. They were an unlikely pair, a white knight and a black thief. Somehow, though, the feeling of Akechi at his side was comforting.

“Go on,” said Akechi, “Show that bastard god what you showed me.”

Kaito closed his eyes, steeling his resolve.

_ Goodbye, Akechi. And…. thank you.  _

He pulled the trigger.

 

There was a gunshot, and the white abyss shattered around them. Kaito caught glimpses of myriad possibilities within the shards. Ryuji winning first place at a national track meet. Ann playing the villainous witch of a children’s show. Yusuke installing his work in a famous museum. Makoto as captain of the police force. Futaba winning a Nobel Prize for research on cognitive psience. Haru opening the homely cafe of her dreams. Morgana curled up and purring in Lavenza’s lap. And finally… a glimpse of Akechi’s smile before all traces of the dream world disappeared.

 

Joker was standing with his friends at the top of a cliff stretching high over Shibuya. Before them stood a six-winged Shadow as tall as a skyscraper. Light shone from each facet of its angular body, but Kaito knew in his heart that this thing--this monster--was not his ally.

He looked down at his hand. The gun Akechi gave him was still there.

“ _ I did not anticipate this outcome _ ,” a voice boomed from above them. “ _ That you would throw away my gifts so blindly… No matter. I will stamp you all out of existence once and for all. _ ”

Joker frowned. His friends drew nearer to him as he aimed the gun at their new opponent. Their chances of winning were slim--but what choice did they have?

No, they had every choice--they always had, from the beginning. They could have stopped at any time. Thrown in the towel, given up, let someone else choose their fate for them… 

Instead, they’d chosen to stay and fight. 

That choice _ mattered _ .

 

Joker cocked the pistol with his thumb.

“It’s not over yet.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> this may or may not have been inspired by that bit at the end of gurren lagann lmao
> 
> so, anyway, this was born of my need for closure vis a vis akechi.   
> no amount of fanfiction is gonna fix the endgame's pacing though, yikes....
> 
> i realized that i forgot where the whole velvet room shenanigans go in the process of writing this, so uh. we're going to assume that still happens. you decide where


End file.
